As is well known, the evaluation of arterial pressure represents an essential parameter to the diagnostics of the human body, in both normal and pathological situations.
A significant example of a field where a knowledge of arterial pressure is needed is the prevention of cardio-circulatory diseases.
The measurement of arterial pressure, at one time tied to the attendance by specialized medical personnel equipped with appropriate instruments, can now be carried on "at home", thanks to the availability of automatic pressure measuring devices which are easy to operate and relatively inexpensive.
Accordingly, the number is growing of those who choose to add such automatic blood pressure meters to their domestic first-aid equipment.
Prior art devices can take measurements with varying degrees of accuracy in a short time, and require no special knowledge or skill on the part of their users.
They have an important limitation, however, in that they offer no support for classification of the evidence provided by the pressure readings. Consequently, there exists a risk that they may infuse baseless worry or overconfidence.
The data gathering operations, e.g., for arterial pressure, and attendant classification, e.g., within the clinical picture of each patient, may appear simple at first sight. Actually, these are lengthy, complicated operations contingent on a number of factors. In particular, the arterial pressure signal is dependent on:
the patient's characteristic parameters, such as age, sex, race, possible pathological and/or functional conditions; and PA1 parameters tied to local environmental conditions, such as temperature, pressure, possible noise.